Girl killed, 4 injured in Fallbrook crash

A 14-year-old girl was killed and four others were injured Thursday in a four-vehicle collision in Fallbrook, the California Highway Patrol said.

About 4 p.m, a 20-year-old Escondido man was driving a Honda Civic northbound on South Mission Road, near Via Monserate, when for unknown reasons the car veered left and crossed the double yellow lines, CHP Officer Jim Bettencourt said. The Honda struck a Nissan Titan driven by a 61-year-old Fallbrook man.

The Honda was then struck in the southbound lane by a Toyota pickup.

A passenger in the Honda was killed. She was identified initially only as a girl in her early teens, but the Medical Examiner's Office said Friday that she was 14 and lived in Fallbrook. Her name was not released.

The driver suffered life-threatening injuries and was flown to a San Diego hospital.

The pickup driver suffered neck and chest injuries and was transported to a hospital.

The Titan crossed a northbound lane and veered up an embankment, then rolled onto a Toyota Tundra driven by a 27-year-old Fallbrook man, Bettencourt said. Both drivers suffered moderate injuries and were transported to a hospital.

It was not yet known if alcohol or drugs played a factor in the collision, Bettencourt said.

South Mission was closed in both directions for several hours as officers investigated.